"Hey, Lucia, it's me Laurel," I tried hurrying the conversation along.
"Gurl, where have you been?" she replied, waiting for the drama she loved so much. I didn't want to get into details.
"Listen, I'll fill you in later. You're meeting us at the Courtyard tonight right?"
"Are you serious?" she laughed. "Of course! It's Halloween night. Oh, sorry, Samhain. I know how traditional you Wiccans are. I'll be there. Erin's picking me up and we'll meet you at the Courtyard."
"Perfect!" I hurried her off the phone. "Don't forget."
I was meeting this morning with the Student Activities Director to coordinate the Samhain ceremony for tonight in the Courtyard of the Undead. She was also the High Priestess. I went inside her office and I could always tell she was in. The scent of sage filled the halls. It was a distinctive scent. Stained glass lamps lit the corners of her room and Celtic music played softly in the background. She was an older woman with a kind face, her long hair falling to her shoulders.
"Good morning Professor Good," I smiled.
"Good morning Laurel," she leaned over to smudge me. Professor Good always felt the need to cleanse everyone on campus by taking sage and passing it over their body to cleanse their spirit. It actually felt good, like it really worked.
"How are faculty handling our idea of a Pagan ceremony?" I asked.
"Oh, that," she smiled. "Don't worry. They're convinced it's a wonderful opportunity for students to get a sense of 'diversity' on campus!" she laughed.
"Well, since I am a Religious Studies Major, it does make sense doesn't it?"
"Indeed," she responded.
"Samhain is a perfect night for it," I replied.
"Absolutely!" she agreed.
"I know that on this night, the souls of the dead and even the fallen can cross between the two worlds," I added.
"That is true. And sometimes, the demons that haunt the living are immortal souls of those who had been unjustly accused," Professor Good went on.
She was a true Wiccan Priestess. Once who practiced witchcraft and firmly believed in "An ye harm none, do what ye will." This was a code that witches adhered to. It meant that we should never practice magic to harm others. As long as it harmed none, we did as we wanted. The most important words of the Wiccan Rede, the code witches lived by, was that of the Threefold Law. It meant that if we ever practiced magic against another, that misfortune would befall us three times over.